Zoë Kravitz Has the Best Response to Men Telling Her to Smile

Zoë Kravitz isn’t here to smile—not for photographers, not for the media and definitely, not for men who harass her on the street. In an interview with Byrdie, the 29-year-old actor called out the assumption that women need to be “pleasant” and revealed the two incredible responses she tells men who ask her to smile.

“You know when a guy on the street tells you to smile?” Kravitz said. “Lately, I’ve been doing one of two things. I’ve either been looking them in the face and saying, ‘Don’t fucking tell me to smile,’ or I’m like, ‘My grandmother just died.’”

The Big Little Lies star explained that both responses are meant to remind men that she’s a human and not something to look pretty for them. “I watch them react, and they don’t even know what to say. The whole point is to remind them I’m a human being. I’m not here to look pretty for you,” Kravitz said.

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Kravitz also called out the assumption for women to remain “pleasant,” which she assumes stems from a fear of being disliked. She urged women to speak their minds, regardless of what the reaction might be.

“I think [it’s about] just speaking your mind and not being afraid to be disliked,” Kravitz said. “That’s a huge thing, not only in the industry, but in culture—specifically American culture. Women are all about being pleasant, and life isn’t always pleasant.”

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Kravitz speaking the truth like always.